Why Don't You All F-F-Fade Away?

But not everyone agrees. Hop into a time machine, and who can forget The Who's"My Generation" where a young Roger Daltrey sings, "Hope I die before I get old." Energetic and brash, this timeless tune wanted no part of an elderly society.

So was the 21-year-old Londoner wrong to demonize old age?

Today Roger is a sprightly 70, and I reckon he might like to revise his earlier opinion. (Getting old is always more preferable to getting dead.)

Perils of Creeping Obesity

Anyway, let's not be too hard on The Who front-man. After all, in 1965 the world looked a very different place...

For a start, Roger had yet to experience his first twinges of arthritis. And just like every other slim-hipped twenty-something, his risk of developing dementia, cancer, high blood pressure and Type 2 diabetes were significantly reduced (youth is kinda wonderful that way).

One more thing Roger had yet to experience were the perils of creeping obesity and fear of muscle loss.

Yet here's a scary thought for you (and for Roger):

While the average person's body loses half a pound of muscle between the ages of 20 and 50, something much worse is happening. Like some lethal airborne toxin from a science fiction B-movie (all the rage back in the 1960s), fat cells are busy multiplying and wreaking all kinds of horrifying havoc.

Fat Loss Over 50

A few posts ago we talked about how everyone falls prey to muscle loss as you get older. Getting old sucks, remember?

And while it is a sad story our tale doesn't end there.

What I DIDN'T tell you, was how the average person's fat gain doesn't only match this figure, but annihilates it like Pete Townshend smashing one of his Fender guitars.

Writing in Fat Loss Breakthrough, fitness researcher, Ellington Darden, PHD, goes onto explain how this fat loss phenomenon progresses at three times the rate of muscle loss. The result? A steady accumulation of ugly body fat that nutritionists commonly refer to as creeping obesity.

And this fat gain steals up on you like a Teddy-Boy in Brothel Creepers. Disguised by your slowly shrinking muscles, the needle on your bathroom scales might say you weigh the same...

However, what your scales WON'T show you, is the dangerous daily shift in your body fat percentage.

Simply, for every pound of muscle lost, you replace it with unwanted fat.

How does this happen?

You don't have to look far to find the answer. Once more, the culprit are your shrinking muscles.

You see, when your body begins to lose muscle, your metabolism starts to fade away too. Just like creeping obesity, this process happens slowly. This is why fat loss over 50 proves so difficult.

And that's where the problems begin, as such a degeneration is next to impossible to recognize on a daily basis.

Because of this, you only get to witness the fall-out from this body fat time-bomb many years later when you are getting old.

Add Muscle to Lose Fat After 50

But there is good news. Creeping obesity - with all its age-related health problems - doesn't have to be your destiny. In fact, it can be swiftly halted in its tracks and even reversed.

So what's the solution?

That's easy. You add muscle.

And every pound of bully beef gained swiftly begins to adds up (this is equally true for the ladies).

You see, adding muscle to your body doesn't only help you look good on the dance floor. It also helps you effortlessly blowtorch unwanted body fat.

Some simple maths for you to show how gaining muscle can help you effortlessly blitz your blubber:

• Add just one pound of muscle to your body and your resting metabolism goes up by 37 calories per day.